Well, I guess I'm a bona fide member now. A month ago, a RAM wasn't even on my radar as far as next cars go. I get something new every 2-3 years, and it had been two years since I picked up my 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Adrenalin.
I really like that little truck, but I inevitably started to get that itch again. I thought for sure I would get a manual Chevy SS (the big Holden sedan), since that's what I've been looking at for four years or so. But, with two kids, plenty of family gear, and no time for real sporting intentions these days, I had to accept that the SS just wasn't the best choice for me right now. Then I found out that there's such a thing as a 2018 Jaguar XF S Sportbrake, and I immediately shifted my attention to buying one of these beautiful wagons. But I couldn't find one within driving distance, and I had never seen one in person. I talked to a few dealers about buying and shipping one, but just never found the right spec for the right price. That's when I shifted my attention to a black Chrysler Pacifica S. Yep; my vehicular interests know no bounds. My wife's Mazda lease is up in October, and I told her I was going to get her a minivan (much to her chagrin), so I figured I could get the van now and drive it myself, which would buy me some time to find the right jag wagon. Well, that plan fell through, because the Pacifica leases like crap, and I didn't want to buy a used one right now. And that, one way or another (namely, the employee pricing event), led me through the FCA family tree to the new RAM 1500.
On New Year's Eve, I went to test drive a 2019 Longhorn dealer demo. They offered me a pretty good price, but the lease terms were, like the Pacifica, terrible, and it was a little beyond my budget for a purchase (about the same as the Jag I was considering). Not two weeks later, I somehow came across a very attractively discounted 2020 model at a dealer about 3 hours away. It wasn't the perfect spec I may have been looking for (mostly the color isn't my preference, but color is also one of my lower priorities), so I called a half dozen other dealers within driving distance, looking for a comparable deal on a comparable truck, but nobody could touch the price. I was skeptical of the legitimacy of this deal the whole time, especially because it's an Autonation dealer, and, well, they have a bit of a reputation. But, I had to go see if the truck was real. So, I bit the bullet and drove up to Dallas yesterday. And sure enough, this is the sight that greeted me when I pulled up to the front of the dealership:
And the deal was exactly as described—no shenanigans with finance or anything. There were a couple of extra rebates I was hoping to get, but that they couldn't add on for me (on account of the heavy discount, I skeptically accepted), but all in all, I am quite happy with what I think is a really great truck.
And, when I share this build spec, I know some of you may roll your eyes or have an opinion about one thing or another, but I really like it. It's the main things I wanted (namely, Longhorn trim with a V8 and all the tech) without spending too much extra money on things I could live without. So anyway, hello from Austin, TX. Behold, my new truck:
2020 RAM 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab 4x2
Ivory white tri-coat w/ black/saddle interior
Body color bumpers
V8 Hemi eTorque
Advanced Safety
Longhorn Level 1
Anti-spin diff
3.92 gears
33 gallon tank
Trailer brake control
Admittedly, I would have preferred to exchange the last three plus the ivory paint for a different color and, say, the pano roof or the rambox/tailgate gimmicks. But she is what she is, and hey, at least it's not black amiright?
Lord knows I'll have trouble enough keeping all that metallic white paint looking good.
And now, since I'm not leasing it, I can starting looking at all the stupid things I'm going to spend stupid money on to tweak it to my liking. I think I'll see about lowering the back end (rather than raising the front) for a more level look. I'll need to add some mud flaps and a good, hard tonneau. Probably should do some sort of ceramic or PPF all that shiny white paint. Then I'll just see where the whims take me. Thanks to this community. I've spent a lot of time on this board over the last few weeks as I narrowed down my choices, and it's been very helpful (even if those of weaker constitution would probably have been turned off by so many reports of questionable product quality). Glad to be among you for real now.
I really like that little truck, but I inevitably started to get that itch again. I thought for sure I would get a manual Chevy SS (the big Holden sedan), since that's what I've been looking at for four years or so. But, with two kids, plenty of family gear, and no time for real sporting intentions these days, I had to accept that the SS just wasn't the best choice for me right now. Then I found out that there's such a thing as a 2018 Jaguar XF S Sportbrake, and I immediately shifted my attention to buying one of these beautiful wagons. But I couldn't find one within driving distance, and I had never seen one in person. I talked to a few dealers about buying and shipping one, but just never found the right spec for the right price. That's when I shifted my attention to a black Chrysler Pacifica S. Yep; my vehicular interests know no bounds. My wife's Mazda lease is up in October, and I told her I was going to get her a minivan (much to her chagrin), so I figured I could get the van now and drive it myself, which would buy me some time to find the right jag wagon. Well, that plan fell through, because the Pacifica leases like crap, and I didn't want to buy a used one right now. And that, one way or another (namely, the employee pricing event), led me through the FCA family tree to the new RAM 1500.
On New Year's Eve, I went to test drive a 2019 Longhorn dealer demo. They offered me a pretty good price, but the lease terms were, like the Pacifica, terrible, and it was a little beyond my budget for a purchase (about the same as the Jag I was considering). Not two weeks later, I somehow came across a very attractively discounted 2020 model at a dealer about 3 hours away. It wasn't the perfect spec I may have been looking for (mostly the color isn't my preference, but color is also one of my lower priorities), so I called a half dozen other dealers within driving distance, looking for a comparable deal on a comparable truck, but nobody could touch the price. I was skeptical of the legitimacy of this deal the whole time, especially because it's an Autonation dealer, and, well, they have a bit of a reputation. But, I had to go see if the truck was real. So, I bit the bullet and drove up to Dallas yesterday. And sure enough, this is the sight that greeted me when I pulled up to the front of the dealership:
And the deal was exactly as described—no shenanigans with finance or anything. There were a couple of extra rebates I was hoping to get, but that they couldn't add on for me (on account of the heavy discount, I skeptically accepted), but all in all, I am quite happy with what I think is a really great truck.
And, when I share this build spec, I know some of you may roll your eyes or have an opinion about one thing or another, but I really like it. It's the main things I wanted (namely, Longhorn trim with a V8 and all the tech) without spending too much extra money on things I could live without. So anyway, hello from Austin, TX. Behold, my new truck:
2020 RAM 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab 4x2
Ivory white tri-coat w/ black/saddle interior
Body color bumpers
V8 Hemi eTorque
Advanced Safety
Longhorn Level 1
Anti-spin diff
3.92 gears
33 gallon tank
Trailer brake control
Admittedly, I would have preferred to exchange the last three plus the ivory paint for a different color and, say, the pano roof or the rambox/tailgate gimmicks. But she is what she is, and hey, at least it's not black amiright?
Lord knows I'll have trouble enough keeping all that metallic white paint looking good.And now, since I'm not leasing it, I can starting looking at all the stupid things I'm going to spend stupid money on to tweak it to my liking. I think I'll see about lowering the back end (rather than raising the front) for a more level look. I'll need to add some mud flaps and a good, hard tonneau. Probably should do some sort of ceramic or PPF all that shiny white paint. Then I'll just see where the whims take me. Thanks to this community. I've spent a lot of time on this board over the last few weeks as I narrowed down my choices, and it's been very helpful (even if those of weaker constitution would probably have been turned off by so many reports of questionable product quality). Glad to be among you for real now.
